The Quest of the Platys
by Code C.H.A.O.S
Summary: Neil and Nerris have created a virtual game of Pixies and Pythons but the game might turn out to be too real for the campers. Will they survive?
1. Chapter 0

Chapter 0

Character Info

Campbell Counselor's

Gwen - Merfolk

Campbell Camper's

Max – Wood Elf Rogue

Nikki – Tiefling Barbarian

Dolph – Human Paladin

Nerris – Wood Elf Ranger

Neil – Mountain Dwarf Alchemist

Ered – Dragonborn Fighter

Harrison – Tiefling Sorcerer

Preston – Hill Dwarf Bard

Nurf – Half Orc Monk

Space Kid – Halfling Wizard

Flower Scouts

Sasha – High Elf Ranger

Tabbii – High Elf Druid

Erin – High Elf Cleric

Wood Scouts

Edward Pikeman – Dark Elf Monk

Petrol – Dark Elf Warlock

Snake – Dark Elf Rogue


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – Enter the Kingdom of Campbell  
Max woke with a yawn. He wiped the sleep from his eyes and rolled out of bed. He looked over and saw that Neal was already gone. He pulled on his blue hoodie over his camp shirt and walked out of their tent and headed for the mess hall to eat what these sadists deemed breakfast. He kicked the doors open and instantly had to duck as space kid flew at him after detaching from the ceiling fan for the millionth time this summer. Nerris and Neil were crowding over his laptop probably looking up the latest nerd shit and Ered was in the corner looking cool. Nerf was robbing Preston, so it was a normal day. Max walked over to the quartermaster and he lopped some grey mush on his plate that he assumed was oatmeal or grits and walked over to sit with Neal and Nikki.

"Hey guys, what's today adventure" he quizzed while poking the slightly moving gruel. "I was thinking of teaching the mascot to speak Cantonese" Nikki enthused. "that way he can order for food from the takeout restaurant in town". Max just stared at her for a second pondering the many issues with that plan, then turned to Neal "Ok, what you go Neal because Nikki is in one of her moods" "Well, Me and Nerris have been working on a virtual reality game and we were going to have people playtest it." Max smiled at the sound of video games, the one thing that made life with his parents bearable. "ding, ding, ding we have a winner. Let's go". "Well we need some D batteries for the headsets and the camp store is all out." Max smiled "leave that to me, just get it set up". Max tossed his tray and walked out of mess hall and headed for the counselor's cabin.

He kicked the door in and Gwen quickly hid her journal she was writing in. "Max, you can't just barge in her", yelled Gwen. "Stow it, nobody is going to want to read your trashy fanfic. Bitch" She narrowed her eyes at him "So what do you want you little shit". Max smiled, "I need some D batteries for Neal's um…experiment. I figured you would have some. "I might, but they're reserved for emergency equipment, kid" replied Gwen. "Your vibrator isn't emergency equipment, Gwen get yourself a boyfriend". "I don't know what you mean" Gwen stammered. "Listen you give me the batteries and I'll have Neal program you a VR Merman with all the appendages you want and you can have all the fun you want" Max offered, Gwen scrambled under her bed and threw a 36 pack of D batteries at Max and followed Max to Neal's demonstration salivating thinking about what she was gonna do that poor Merman.

When they got to the campfire the flower scouts and wood scouts and the rest of the campers were sitting around the amphitheater. "ladies, guys and Jeremy Fartz, I would like to thank you for helping us playtest this VR simulation. We will be playing a VR version of Pixies and Pythons that me and Nerris developed." Introduced Neil. "I'm passing around character sheets, fill them out and I will input them into the computer and then we can start the simulation. Remember this is a world of magic where everything is possible" explained Nerris as she passed them out and everyone got to work. Max decided to be a Arboreal Elf Rogue mainly so he could wear a hood. Backstabbing was just a bonus. He finished his sheet and handed it to Neal. He laid it on a scanner and Max's character showed on the screen. Max tweaked a few physical features and his character was set to go. Neil and Nerris led them into the mess hall where sci-fi capsules waited for them. "When the hell did you guys manage to get all this shit setup" asked Max. "Max, we're geniuses don't question it" replied Neal. Max hopped into a capsule and the cover slid down. A metal ring shunted across his forehead and locked in place then everything went black.

_**You can see everyones characters in Chapter 0**_


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Twinleaf Tribe

When Max's vision returned, he was looking up at a leafy canopy. He was only wearing some loose trousers tied at his waste. He was inside a large cabin but a quick glance out the many windows showed he was nowhere near the ground. Max walked to what was the bathroom and into what he thought was the shower and pulled a lever and water flowed down bamboo shoots from the wall. Max stripped and quickly rinsed off. The water felt cold but refreshing. "Wait how am I feeling this." Max ran his hand through the water and if he didn't have memories of the real world, he would have believed this was real. He dried off and got dressed in yellow tunic and black cuffed pants. He fastened a blue cloak with a hood over some leather armor and strapped on some leather boots. He grabbed his gear and leapt from the porch of his treehouse and he was surprised how nimble and agile he was. He controlled his descent leaping from one tree to another until he landed on a branch overlooking a clearing. He jumped down and started walking through the grove when he felt a surge of nature energy surround him. Roots shot from the ground and tried to ensnare him. He whipped out his rapier and with a few slices turned them into kindling. He rushed forward and arrows sprouted just a few feet ahead of him. He searched the brush but saw no one. He slowly backed away and that's when he luck ran out as a snare looped around his ankle and pulled him up and a bolo flew and wrapped him up and the rocks slammed into his head knocking him unconscious.

Max awoke inside a long hut tied up by a fire. His pack was just across from him and he saw his daggers. He shifted around until he fell over and rolled over to the pack and was about to reach it when a shadow came across the door. The figure dashed without making a sound and snatched the pack away. "Damn it, let me go you, asshole. I'm going to kill you when I get free". The figure laughed and he realized it was not a man but a woman. "It's not nice to forget your friends Maxwell" chided the woman. She released his bond and helped him up. "It is I, the lovely elf-kin Nerina" the woman exclaimed with a flourish. Max stood up and socked her. "Oww, what was that for." Cried Nerris. "Let start with the slight concussion and work back from there. Why the hell did you attack me". Nerris stood up. Max knew elves in lore and stuff had more attractive features than humans but Nerris or Nerina as she was calling herself was pretty stunning. "So where are we" asked Max. "You are among the Twinleaf tribe of wood elves. A glitch left me injured upon arrival and I would have either langured in mortal danger or succumb to my injuries if they hadn't found me. They nursed me back to health and I've been a warrior scout with them ever since" she explained. "Wait, we just started playing how did all that happen already" Max asked. Nerris looked puzzled, "It's been several years in game time". Max's mind raced as he tried to comprehend what that meant for him. He couldn't remember anything up until this morning inside his treehouse. He decided to put that off until later.

Max and Nerris walked outside and Max took in the quaint village of the Twinleaf tribe. Several long huts were arranged around a great tree. There were terraced fields to the east where a variety of fruits and vegetables were grown and a lake to the west. "So, what is the point of the game" asked Max "You know, how do we win". Nerris looked troubled at this. "Normally there is some kind of greater evil that appears and threatens the land, but nothing has occurred in this area in some time. We might have actually created a world without enough conflict. It's honestly been kind of boring" replied Nerris. "Well maybe that's why I'm here. The World's Greatest Troublemaker." Max laughed. Nerris smirked, "Well if you're looking to start trouble the quickest way would be to start in Hawthorne". "Well care to join me on my rise as a demon king" Max asked Nerris and she nodded affirmatively.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Departing for Hawthorne

Nerris spoke with the Twinleaf chief and his counsel and make aware that they would be leaving the village. The chief seemed to actual show some genuine sadness about her departure. Max really was surprised how deep the game mechanics ran. The village chief insisted on throwing a feast making them the guest of honors. The village quickly erupted into fervor as giant vats were brought out and the feast preparations began. "Hey Max, we're going hunting for a Gargoboath for the feast. Come on" yelled Nerris and they headed into the woods. Nerris whistled and the sound of several large creatures came running towards them. Max pulled out his sword and readied to attack when several large hairy hexapedal creatures came crashing through the brush. Nerris hopped on one and took off in the forest. Max followed her lead and soon was rushing through the forest on the back of one of these creatures. Max had to keep ducking as he was almost knocked off several times by low hanging branches. Soon they heard are roar that was both hollow and piercing. They dashed through a river and leaped over a ridge and a beast like a giant porcupine with a wispy tail came into view in a depression. The group split up and charged from opposite sides closing in on it. The Gargoboath quickly noticed their presence and let out a ear-piercing cry then its quills began to rattle and the launched from its back and new ones began sliding out to replace them. One hit the guy in front of max and he fell off his creature and landed stiff on the ground. "Watch out, the quills are laced with a neurotoxin that paralyzes you for a while" yelled Nerris. Max pulled out his short bow and started firing at the monster. They pierced its side and curled up in a ball and started rolling away. They gave chase and continued to fire shot that bounced off its quill shield. Nerris moved closer to Max and they planned out how to take it down. They were heading towards the bottom of a ridge so the beast would have to go left or right. They came around its side and they kept in on from turning one way or the other. They were playing chicken with a rock wall and just before it was too late, they turned but it was too late for the monster. Its momentum carried it right into the wall. With a loud thud it lodged itself into the sheer earthen wall. Nerris leaped from her beast and shouted a command in a language max didn't understand. The earth gave way and trapped the poor creature beneath a pile of dirt. They strolled over to it trying to wiggle it's way free and delivered the finishing blow. They hauled its body back to the village and were greeted by several large bonfires. The pulled the beast into camp. Soon the clan's cooks had it skinned and cleaned. The put it into a cooking pit and raised a fire beneath it. Soon the smell of the sweet meat filled the air. While the meat cooked, musicians started playing drums and woodwinds and music filled the air. Max watched as the villagers twirled around the fires and was really looking forward to the beast they killed. Someone bumped his shoulder and saw that it was Nerris. Her eyes glittered in the firelight Max realized she had been crying. "Are you ok" he asked. "I know I shouldn't but I still feel bad for leaving them. The other tribes have been more confrontational about our hunting grounds and there is a new group of warriors in training to find and whip into shape. This was my home. They took me in and I was family. Look at this feast everyone who is anyone is here. All for me. It's just hard you know". Max silently nodded. "Well who knows maybe we'll have to come back for some side quest" he said to cheer her up. She smiled and nodded. A thunderous horn sounded, and all drew silent. The chieftain stepped forward. "We gather here tonight to celebrate the departure of our brave protector Nerina. Just as the river diverges at the fork so does her path diverge from ours. Let's us only hope one day we'll meet back up and can flow together once again. Now let us feast". Everyone cheered and Max heard Nerris give a sniff. Food and spirits flowed freely as the revelry became akin to a Bacchanalia. Even Max the Stoic found himself drawn into the music and dancing. Eventually the night became a wonderous blur.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N – Sorry I haven't updated in awhile just trying to figure out how this story will play out._

Chapter 4: On the Road to Hawthorne

Max awoke hanging upside down from a snare. "Why does this keep happening to me" he yelled. He flopped around and eventually the snare broke from his weight and he feel to the ground. He landed in the remains of a burnt-out fire and yelped as he brushed up against still hot cinders. He jumped to his feet and walked out of the firepit. He looked around and saw that everyone else was in a similar state of disarray after last night's feast. Max moved through the village looking for Nerris. He found her in a hut and went inside. She was inside packing her things. She was just slipping the last of her things into her bags when Max walked in. "Hey Max, I'm almost ready to head out. We just need to stop by the storehouses for a few days' rations and we can head out." said Nerris as he came inside. She cinched up her bag and threw it over her shoulder. Let's go. Hey Curazel, keep an eye on the place for me". A slender elven male walked out from the bathroom bare-chested and nodded, "Come back soon. I can't promise to keep my bed open forever" he joked. Max's gaze bounced between the two of them. Nerris shrugged, "Nerina has high charisma and can be very persuasive". Max looked at her "In English?". Nerris stated proudly "I can get it". Max laughed "Well, they don't call it role-playing for nothing. Let's go before I puke".

They headed for the storerooms and grabbed the last of the supplies. She said her final goodbyes and then they were off. Nerris whistled and two of the hunting creatures came speeding out of the woods. They hopped on and they were off through the woods. They were in quite a remote area, so they'd have to travel to one of the caravan roads and then figure out a route to Hawthorne. "SO, who was the big bad in this game before the glitches caused it to be peaceful." Max asked as they traveled. "Well, so were going to have everyone infiltrate a fortress and save a princess. The princess would grow up to be a mage and depending on the outcomes of a few missions would either want to revive the dead or turn herself into a god and you'd have to stop her and that'd be the end. But from what I determined is that she ended up with Stockholm syndrome and married one of her captors they became bandit king and queen and pillaged the land. They were inseparable even at the gallows. They died holding hands." Nerris explained. "Holy shit!, yea something big must have fucked up for things to go that wildly different." Max exclaimed. Nerris just nodded. "I blame Neal's shoddy coding. He used JavaScript when he should have used C#. Gahh"

It was Max's turn to just nod his head. "So, if I going to be the big bad then I'll need to start recruiting some underlings". "Well, I've never run a villain campaign, so I'll be your number two if you want". Max nodded "So then we need probably 4-5 more people before we start to make a name for ourselves. I've heard of a man who lives in an abandoned quarry who they call The Dragon of Cragmoore. It on the way and he might make a good recruit". "Well then lead the way, Nerina". They nudged their mounts and they hoofed it towards the quarry. The creatures were surprisingly agile as they weaved through the trees and leaped over brooks. Soon the trees got farther apart, and the grass became rocky. They reached the crest of the hill overlooking the quarry and were shocked at the site. Normally it would be amazing, the quarry that should be an empty hole in the ground was filled with a steampunk city built into the one of the sides of the rock face. But that wasn't it. The rest of the quarry was filled with an army of orcs and they were fighting some human shaped Animunculi. Max looked at Nerris, "Well, I guess it can't be too easy".


End file.
